ABUSES CONNECTED WITH EXPLOITATION. 133 



' The next day there appeared at the mill a police official, 

 and a town councillor. The manager happened to be outside, 

 and demanded to know their business. They said, "You have 

 stolen timbers on your premises, cut down from the town 

 forest just at hand. We have seen the place, and we are 

 come to confiscate them, and make out a criminal protocol 

 against you." " Very well, gentlemen/' says the Englishman, 

 " show me your warrant and authority for searching my pre- 

 mises before you proceed any further." They had reckoned 

 without their host, and had nothing to show but the uni- 

 form of one of them, while the other had a book of laws in 

 his hand. The Englishman says, " I don't know you ; I 

 can't receive you without the legal authorised document." 

 They went away in a great rage, vowing dreadful things. 

 The Englishman saw he was likely to get into a mess, and 

 that there was no time to be lost, so he went immedia- 

 tely to the under Government fo raster, and told him all 

 the case, " Oh," says he, " make yourself easy." A man 

 was sent off by post-horses, 30 versts for his stamp. And 

 when the gentlemen returned next morning with redoubled 

 force, and all the necessary legal forms, every timber and 

 block on the premises had got the Government brand, his 

 papers were all in order, Government was paid, and there 

 were timbers yet to receive. They retired crest-fallen, but 

 laughed heartily at the ruse ; they saw through the whole 

 affair, but it was legally right, so they gave the Englishman 

 the credit of being a shrewd fellow, beating them at their 

 own game; and he, instead of prosecuting for damages 

 for a false charge, wined and dined them, and they left 

 him in peace ever afterwards. He had every reason to 

 believe that the very rascal that brought him the timber 

 went and informed upon him. 



'Well, now, I think you will see from what I have 

 written that it is no wonder the forests are rapidly dis- 

 appearing in all parts of Russia, especially when we con- 

 sider the careless humble-jumble "self first" system of 

 theirs, and besides this, the want of a proper scientific 



